Monday, August 31, 2026
I wake early and make a list of what needs doing. It's a full page, something I usually resist but my brain will never keep all this straight. We count things, bake things, and set the kitchen for the week. A group of almost 2 dozen guests plans to stay over next week, which means adjustments for the regulars. Student papers begin coming in from the August doctoral class.
After our morning walk and some calls, Ibu Siti comes and kneads out the kinks in my back. I always "read" (listen to) a book I'm not sure I can persevere through during a massage. Today's is exceptional and I'll use it for a Spiritual Formation course. Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer. It's well-written and informative.
Meanwhile, therapist Agnes works with W. His speech is rapidly improving and he's speaking a lot. A hospital staffer swings by to pick up the portable EKG I wore over the weekend. We'll find out what that says on Thursday. We will pare down our packed travel schedule in the next weeks, just to be on the safe side.
I write the monthly update to our partners and have W proofread it. All is well. It goes out tomorrow. In the late afternoon, the yardman cuts off some "widow-makers," branches that have died on the pine trees. We had to trim those when we lived in the Seattle forest, too.
By the time everyone goes home, supper is on the table: a garlicky ginger tofu. Not so bad. Not so good. I'm doing a lot of kitchen experiments.
Gypsy (the first watchdog we acquired) has arthritis in one back knee. We start him on meds and then take the dogs for an evening walk. After we get the week's calendar squared away for people who want to visit, I make a cup of tea and crawl into bed with a book.
TuesdayWe walk, have porridge for breakfast and then W goes wading. He's working on the pool that came with the Project. Good thing he's handy. The plan is to eventually host water therapy, PT, and water aerobics in the "deep end." I sit on a chair in the former "shallow end." Half the pool is dry since it's too big to fill completely. Plus it was dangerous without a lifeguard at 4 meters (12') deep at capacity.
On a walk around the yard, we pick up some mosaic tiles. Wonder what we can make with them ...
Kiki and Veronica drop by for lunch at a restaurant nearby and a little tea afterward on the Porch. We admire the pizza trays and holder Veronica found at Aldi Australia. What a nice housewarming gift. We'll have them over the next time W makes pizza dough. We had pizza parties on the old Porch every Saturday during COVID, when meeting inside was forbidden.
A trip to the grocer nets corn on the cob so bland that I cut it up for
perkadels tomorrow (corn fritter). The rest of the groceries are put away before supper. It feels like late evening but the sun is just going down. Zzzzz.
WednesdayTHe UV index is at 11, very high.
We walk early in the morning before a date breakfast at #NaraPark. It's such a relaxing place for a cup of tea.
My usual order is noodles with popcorn shrimp on the side. Lots of hot sauce, please.
Deep red flowers bloom nearby.
This is as close as we get to autumn: in dry season, many trees drop leaves to conserve water and will regrow when the rainy season arrives.
Some flowers thrive in the dry times.
W's therapist comes and is pleased with his progress. He's speaking in sentences and getting easier to understand. I miss a meeting of women that I enjoy attending. Sigh. Can't do it all. The tree that loomed over the house has been cut down many times, before and after we moved it.
See the stump beside the path? It keeps sending out shoots. We clip one off this morning. It would be nice to remove the stump but well, it's a lot of work, when there's enough to do right now at the Project.
One of the coleus plants is showing off its splendor.
The little dog has fleas again - must be cats roaming the yard while the dogs sleep. We apply tick/flea meds one by one. Seeing the attention the others are getting, Juno walks over, plops down, and says, "Me too!" This labradoodle loves all kinds of attention.
What? Supper's here again? I find a mix-and-match chart.
The result is a supper salad that tastes pretty good.
I write a bunch of book reviews. Two of them somehow transfer to this blog. How does that happen when I'm still on the same page? No idea, but my apologies. Books belong in the review blog 3BOOKSFULL. A computer is both wonderful and uncooperative at times. The internet connection is flaky today, which doesn't help.
Thursday - 49th Anniversary
On September 3, 1977, we said "I will." I remember getting up that wedding morning and thinking, "Well, here goes. This guy will still be interesting when we're 60." My 2 requirements for a husband (besides basic decency and a call to global work) were simple: 1) Love God and 2) be smarter than I am so we wouldn't get bored with each other. After a long marriage and 4 kids, I might hold out for a few more things, but those are mostly improvements on my side. W turned out to be just what I asked God for.
Walking down the church aisle, I thought, "Thank God, no more dating." I guess I'm more pragmatic than romantic for life-determining decisions, though I do appreciate romantic gestures.
On this morning's walk, Gypsy is feeling so much better. He's frisky and playful and he happily runs over to join the others. It's a good change from hanging out at home while we circle the blocks.
Breakfast is leftovers: blueberry chia pudding, quinoa with fruit and nuts, and the sweet pineapply Lussi left us.
We're off to appointments and to enjoy a generous gift from a friend tonight. More about that in the next post.
* Of all that you give me I will surely give one-tenth to you. Genesis 28:22* The angel of the LORD came a second time, touched him, and said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.” 1 Kings 19:7
* As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. Psalm 40:17
* Jesus said, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:24
* Therefore I urge you to take some food, for it will help you survive, for none of you will lose a hair from your heads. Acts 27:34
* I know what it is to have little, and I know what it is to have plenty. In any and all circumstances I have learned the secret of being well-fed and of going hungry, of having plenty and of being in need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. Philippians 4:12-13
* For God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Moravian Prayer: Like an endless tide, Lord, you give and receive and give again. May we give, not out of indebtedness, but out of appreciation and admiration of your ways. May our gifts be shared with others as joyously as you bestow abundance on us.
Divine Chef, you nourish our spirits, minds, and bodies with your words and creation. Sometimes we forget to look around and notice the goodness you have set before us. May we fully join the meal, sharing it with all your people. Amen.
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